Peruvian Rugs; All there is to know.
What Is a Peruvian Rug?
The Story Of The Frazada.
All of the Frazadas in the Woven Rosa Pacha Collection have been handmade and meticulously handpicked on sourcing trips around the Andean Mountains of Peru. During the sourcing trips we were lucky enough to build great relationships with the artisans that create the beautiful Peruvian rugs and learn the traditions and heritage that are part of each piece.
This is how each Frazada (Peru Rug) has been created from the ground up:
Step 1 | The Alpaca
The beginning of the journey starts way up high in the Andean mountains where the alpacas & sheep roam freely. The winter woollen coats help protect the animals against the harsh weather and altitudes that come hand in hand with many of our sourcing destinations.
The campo (a word used to describe countryside) of some of our Peruvian villages can reach over 5000 metres high which can feel unliveable at times.
As the winter comes to a close and the temperatures rise, the shearing season begins and thousands of domesticated and occasionally wild livestock get a quick summer haircut and part with their beautiful wool.
Putting yourself in the hooves of an alpaca, the whole process does sound quite scary, one minute you’re happily eating grass and before you know it an Andean farmer marches towards you with a big pair of shears about to steal your coat!
However the process is surprisingly stress free and unassuming as the animals are calm in nature and the farmers are extremely experienced making it a quick and painless job.
Step 2 | The Wool
The next step is to wash & sort the wool into colour and grade while removing bits of grass or vegetation that may be stuck.
This is a job which is normally carried out by the younger women of the family, it can be a little laborious, staring at wool in a dimly lit room however is an important stage along the way.
The wool is then stored and used by the farmers family or sold at markets to villagers, merchants or artisans.
Step 3 : The Spin
The wool is spun by hand using a spindle, starting as a giant ball of candy floss and processed down into yarn sometimes as fine as fishing line.
The spindle is spun on the floor or mid-air like a spinning top, the candy floss wool is then carefully fed onto the reel creating a tightly twisted yarn.
This process can usually be witnessed on most street corners in many Andean towns, it comes as second nature to many of the women who can spin while walking, talking or picking up a few groceries from town.
As always they make this look effortlessly easy, but having tried on numerous occasions to make my own yarn it takes a lot of practice and patience.
Step 4 : The Dyeing
When the yarn is then at a medium to thick width it is ready for colouring (check out how wool is naturally dyed) this technique is one of the oldest dyeing techniques in the world and is a magical thing to watch nature transform a natural yarn into a bright punchy red or a vibrant green in a matter of hours.
Once the coloured yarns have dried naturally in the sun, they are re-spun to the artisans desired width ready for the next step on the journey.
Step 5 : The Weave
The artisans pre-select the colours they wants to use to create their textile. To start off the yarn must be wrapped round two adjacent wooden beams, where the distance between the two beams will be the length of the rug.
The amount of times the yarn is wrapped around relates to how wide the rug will eventually be but also the pattern that the artisan wishes to make. Different colours are also used to achieve alternative affects.
It now looks like a rectangular multicoloured double layer harp ready for the artisan to play some melodic notes.
Before the magic can begin the artisan has to strap up and attach themselves to one of the beams. This is why the rugs can only be a certain width, because the artisan needs to be able to easily reach either side of the width of the yarn while sitting down.
With the other beam firmly attached to a tree or a wall the weaving can begin.
Various colours of yarn are passed through the middle of the vertical harp like contraption. Another thinner piece of wood is then used to interchange the vertical yarns from top to bottom. This creates a simple binary pattern and the first step of the weave.
Another 2 wooden sticks can be then used to create fantastically intricate designs. To weave a rug takes great concentration, persistence and skill.
It is like observing a master pianist or an artist painting a landscape, it’s hard to imagine how their brain can function so quickly and how they can create such small details leading to each masterpiece.
A rug can take months to finish all depending on size, detail and the experience of the weaver.
The more seasoned weavers are able to create the patterns off the top of their head while younger artisans will use other textiles as a guide to show them how they can create different designs.
The finished rug will always then be arms width wide, if the artisan wants a larger rug they will then carry out the procedure again making a copy of the first textile. The two are then carefully stitched together to create one of our large rugs.
Heritage
The whole process is a true testament to the traditions and heritage of Andean people.
It is much easier to buy machine made products which will be consistently perfect and made within a fraction of the time.
But the Andean communities are determined to keep their traditions alive and not blend in with the rest of the modern age.
Being able to work with these incredibly talented people and share their art work with you to keep their traditions alive is a constant inspiration for Woven Rosa and is a fundamental part of our ethos.
How large are Peru Rugs?
Peru rugs or Frazadas are handmade by various different artisans on backstrapped looms. Therefore, Peru rugs that Woven Rosa showcase and in general are of different sizes. The majority of Peru rugs fall into two different shapes which we call small and large rugs.
Our small Peru rugs typically are around 80cm wide and 160cm long, these are great as carpet runners for halls. Our large Peru rugs are two smaller rugs conjoined so measurements are roughly 160cm x 190cm.
What material are Peru Rugs?
Peruvian Rugs are made out of either sheep wool or alpaca fibre. The wool is sheered from the animals that are reared in the artisan’s villages. It is then spun, dyed and woven into frazadas, cushions or throws ready for the next adventure. Take a look here to see the difference between sheep and alpaca.
My Frazada Keeps Slipping?
Depending on the type of floor that the large rug is laying on, sometimes your Peru rug may slip. We recommend purchasing an underlay for the frazada that acts as a grip. These come in many different materials. We found that rubber works quite well as it grips most rugs and can be bought fairly thin. Large rug grippers come in various sizes and are available to purchase online.
How to clean a Frazada?
Animal fibre which Peru Rugs are made up of is generally quite a stain-resistant material and most marks should come out with a little help from a cold damp cloth. However if there seems to be a particularly stubborn stain, sprinkle a little baking soda on the stain and leave for an hour then vacuum off, you may need to repeat this and then clean with a damp cloth later.
Every couple of months we would recommend shaking or beating all of the dust out of your Peru rug. All of our frazdas are durable and are easily folded to make it a little easier for you to shake. For kitchen rugs or spaces with high footfall, we would recommend doing this every month.
You can also use a steamer to clean your Peru rug which will freshen the material.
Does natural dye fade on Peru Rugs?
Natural dyes are all locally sourced ingredients from the Andes; with recipes that have been used for centuries and very little changing since they were used by the Incas.
The dyes used in Peru rugs, depending on the colour and the intensity, can fade over long periods of time. However your rug’s beauty will not fade - the wear of your rug will add character to its story.
We do advise you to keep your frazada out of direct sunlight for long periods of time to preserve the colour.
Why Choose a Frazada?
Frazadas are a great choice if you are looking for a rug. Aesthetically they are literally one of a kind, their unique design will make your space truly a one-off.
Peru rugs typically come in fairly bright colours, red and orange rugs are fairly common as are pink rugs. This is because of the natural dyes that are readily available to the artisans.
The bright and bold colours will make your rug a centrepiece and create a stylish boho look. Frazadas do also come in more neutral colours, there are many black and white Peru rugs. These will soften a space and give a sense of calm and class.
Frazadas are also have a wonderful story attached to them. Each weave created by the masterful artisans who spend days and weeks creating each work of art. Many of the frazada tell stories in the patterns, some shapes depicting waves, alpacas and flowers.
Where to buy Peru Rugs?
There are a handful of brand and shops that sell Peru Rugs and Frazadas in the UK. The nature in how these textiles are made means that they only exist in small quantities. Woven Rosa showcases a collection of Peru Rugs online, we are constantly updating our range of frazadas sourcing all of them directly from Artisans in Peru.
What Colour is a Peruvian Rug?
Peruvian rugs come in many colours and is totally down to the artisan. You will se many red or pink hues in the rugs which is down to the abundance of cichineal in the area.
